In one of the cruelest imaginable displays of fated timing, David Bowie died just three weeks before last January’s debut of the Band That Fell to Earth. The tribute act, organized by Michelle Bacon (Chris Meck and the Guilty Birds), was put together to pay homage to the musician while he was very much alive. Then came the bad news, and Bacon was joined by Nathan Corsi (Not a Planet), Steve Tulipana, Betse Ellis and nearly a dozen other local-music luminaries.
Read the full feature at the Pitch. Published 1/3/17
Mac Sabbath is the world’s only clown-fronted, fast-food themed, Black Sabbath act. There are costumes, a light show and songs, which don’t so much glorify fast food as warn of its dangers. It’s a strange cross between “Weird Al” Yankovic and Michael Pollan, but it works. The band doesn’t do interviews, so we spoke by phone with Mac Sabbath’s manager, Mike Odd, about the whole strange affair ahead of Wednesday’s show at the Jackpot.
Read the full interview at the Pitch. Published 9/14/16
With the second installment of the Too Much Rock single series, we have the first-ever physical release from Kansas City power-pop group Rev Gusto. As longtime readers will recall, we were super-hyped on their first EP when it was released digitally. It’s good to see that the band has managed to both retain their loose, shimmery tones, as well as tightening up their melodies and harmonies.
The a-side is an original, “Still There,” which balances that shimmering guitar with tight drums and bass, resulting in a song that bridges the gap between slightly psychedelic ’60s and early ’80s power-pop. The cover of Graham Parker’s “Local Girls” on the flip only makes that comparison more accurate. I’d not heard Parker’s original in years (it’s not like anything along those lines except Marshall Crenshaw’s “Someday Someway” ever makes it on the radio anymore), and it was interesting to revisit the song after hearing Rev Gusto’s take. They do a lovely job of energizing the slightly-lethargic original, in the process rendering it less morose, and more snotty.
The band’s goddamn catchy and everyone who sees or hears them just can’t help but fall in love with these guys. Here’s to hoping some of you pick up the single and do the same. It’s a delightfully catchy pair of songs, just in time for summer. https://soundcloud.com/sidmuchrock/rev-gusto-still-there
More info on the single series can be found at Too Much Rock.
Acid Mothers Temple and Space Paranoid is the latest, umpteenth version of the Japanese psychedelic rock collective, and on this go-’round, Black Magic Satori, it’s less psych and more doom. I mean, seriously: DOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
No, but really: there’s some super down-tempo Black Sabbath love on this LP — “Black Sabbth” the song, specifically, right down to the ringing bell. On the title track, “Black Magic Satori,” Acid Mothers Temple and Space Paranoid takes the sound out of the grave and into outer space, courtesy of Higashi Hiroshi‘s madman synths. Continue reading →
Driving Mrs. Satan is a trio of London and Naples-based musicians who’ve recently released their debut LP, entitled Popscotch. As the title suggests, it’s lovely, poppy music. The lyrical content may surprise, however, as each and every song is a reinterpretation of a heavy metal track. From Iron Maiden’s “Can I Play With Madness?” to a truly novel take on Anthrax’s “Caught In A Mosh,” the songs — as the band’s Facebook says — are heavy metal made easier. Yet, for the songs being stripped of the speed and heaviness, there emerges the root melody and lyricism inherent in these songs oft-derided as meatheaded. The band spoke with us via e-mail about the new album and how Driving Mrs. Satan came together. Continue reading →
This came out of nowhere (or, maybe, the shadows?), but Teenage Bottlerocket is releasing a 7-inch later this week on the long-defunct Clearview Records. Clearview, for those in the know, was the label which released all that Lillingtons stuff back in the ’90s, and whose last release was the TBR Live In ’06 single-sided LP.
From the TBR Facebook page:
“We’ve got a special new 7 inch out this week check it out:
NEW from CLEARVIEW RECORDS:
TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET “Walked In Line” / “Ice Age” 7″ (CRVW-58)
This release is LIMITED to 1,000 copies, and will not be re-pressed!
All are on grey vinyl with gatefold covers.
Teenage Bottlerocket does two Joy Division songs – both are exclusive to this 7″!
The record will be available through several sites, including It’s Alive, No Idea and Dirtnap as well as the Clearview Records ebay store.
So, keep an eye out. I want this so very badly, and hope to hell it doesn’t hit the various distros while I’m at work.
Black Tambourine‘s total recorded output just increased by 25%. The influential twee quartet’s complete discography, Black Tambourine, contains but 16 tracks, so any new material from the band is something about which to get excited. In this case, it’s OneTwoThreeFour, a four-song, double 7-inch of Ramones covers due out on Slumberland on May 15.
The band’s playing several reunion shows in early April for Chickfactor magazine’s twentieth anniversary, and felt that, since they were going to the trouble of getting the band back together, they might as well try to record something new. Ordering info’s not yet available, but I’m sure if you keep an eye on the Slumberland website, you’ll know as soon as it happens.
You can take a listen to their dreamy take on “What’s Your Game” below. The cut features backing vocals from the ‘Rinettes, ” a one-time only virtual meeting of some of the band’s favorite singers: Linda Smith, Rose Melberg, Dee Dee from Dum Dum Girls and Jenny Robbins from Honeymoon Diary.”
For thems that like their punk with a little more edge, yet still retaining certain anthemic, sing-along qualities, look no further than the lastest from long-running youth-crew hardcore vets H2O. Like their forebears 7 Seconds, H2O have always hewn close to the pop edge of hardcore. Continue reading →
Tomas Kalnoky is evidently now going by the name Toh Kay (clever) for his debut solo release, Streetlight Dreams, from Pentimento Music Company. It seems like Kalnoky’s non-Streetlight Manifesto output is entirely reworked material. His split with Mu330’s Dan Potthast had him covering Potthast’s solo work and that of Mu330, but as that was the intent of the project (Potthast covered Streelight Manifesto songs), we’ll give him a pass. However, the Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution’s A Call to Arms featured Catch 22’s “Dear Sergio,” with only three original songs. Continue reading →
Before I step away from the computer for a glorious three days of over-indulging in sun, booze, and fire-cooked meats, I wanted to share some free tunes that’ve found their way onto the Internet over the past few days. There’s some good stuff for you to play while in the car, at the beach, or next to the grill.
First, we’ve got a bunch of new stuff from Evil Weevil. The record label’s got previews of six upcoming releases and artists, including perennial Rock Star Journalist faves the Hussy.
Although not a new track, this number from Cement Tomb Mind Control ought to further convince you to buy the LP, as well as whet your appetite for their upcoming single (singles, actually – they’ve got a couple coming out on Slovenly Records’ imprint Black Gladiator later this year, as well). More info about those releases, including tentative dates, is at the Evil Weevil blog. Continue reading →